


In The Shadow Of Your Heart

by BugTongue



Series: Leopika Week 2018 [4]
Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Bickering, Gray Jedi, Leopika Week 2018, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-07
Updated: 2018-09-07
Packaged: 2019-07-08 02:04:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15920670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BugTongue/pseuds/BugTongue
Summary: Kurapika is a Jedi on a mission and Leorio needs better taste in road trip snacks.





	In The Shadow Of Your Heart

**Author's Note:**

> The quote mentioned later is from "Sam Jones" from the Finity's End filk album. Please listen to it and appreciate the amount of stupid references being made in this series of fics.

The force was not light or dark, it was just the force. The energy surrounding and a part of all things, emanating from the core of the universe, spread out in globs and sprays. In waves. Particles that filled the body up to the brim if only one opened themself up to it.

Nonetheless, Kurapika reached deep into the darker parts. The energy that comes from dying stars and a roaring forest fire, born from the end of things, released from the self by taking from the self. He wanted to burn himself up from the inside if only to take back what belonged to him, and destroy those who stole it in the first place. His master warned him, clearly and numerously, that there were other ways, other places of power to draw from. But his anger was great, and the inner decay felt fierce and good, as if it could burn out the pain along with the joy.

Whatever it took.

Kurapika strode aboard the freighter carrying only his bag and saber, robes fluttering about his ankles. Technically he was a jedi, technically he was taught the way of balance, by some grey jedi hiding away in a backwater planet. The more knights he met who refused the council, the more commonplace this seemed to be. Despite this, he never seemed to call forth the light very often, only often enough to meditate and maintain himself, only enough to keep his footing on the blade of power.

He was to meet the captain of the spacecraft before they embarked, pay him up front (of course), but it seemed he was nowhere on board. Troublesome, they were to leave in half an hour, Kurapika wondered if he might still be trying his luck in one of the nearby taverns. Or worse.

He sighed and did another lap of the ship before leaving with purpose in his step and his hand out in front of him as if feeling through a dark room. His eyelids drooped, and he felt the tug on his forefinger. Slight left, diagonal across the street. Middle finger, straight ahead now. Through the door of a building, a tug on his pinky and he nearly ran into the man he sought. Captain Palidinknight of the Pleistocene Tusk, a tall man with a shock of black hair and dark teashades that gave him a tryhard appearance, looked to be about as ready to leave the convenience store as Kurapika was to stay planetside.

“Are you nearly done grubbing around for snacks or should I expect a delay on my arrival to Coruscant? I have some very serious meetings to make there and I don't want to be late just because the captain of my transport decided he really needed…” Kurapika picked up a bag of what looked like candied spiders, and averted his glare to Palidinknight’s face without continuing. The captain looked sheepish for only a moment, before ire took over

“I lost track of the time, sorry. But you really shouldn't complain considering you picked the second cheapest option available, I'm not running some luxury cruise here.” He snatched the bag of snacks back and tossed it in his basket, moving down to the next isle and judging prices on jars of stars know what, Kurapika didn't bother to look. He could feel his temper beginning to get the better of him.

“Luxury or not, I am paying you, and if it comes to it I can just fly the ship myself with Pair-Oh’s help.” Kurapika crossed his arms as Leorio turned and put a finger in his face, going so far as to purposefully brush across the tip of his nose.

“You steal my ship and it won't matter what kind of bullshit magic tricks you can do, not even the other jeji will be able to find what's left of you.”

“Jedi, but I suppose you've spent more time calculating the distances between asteroids than you have reading so I'm not too surprised you got that wrong, despite me saying it not even an hour ago. Are you done here?” Kurapika followed him as Palidinknight turned his back and knocked both jars into the basket.

“Yeah I'm kriffing done, you absolute pain in the ass. Go back to the ship, I'll be there in like two seconds.” He carried his basket to the glass encased counter, grumbling under his breath with a surly expression pulling at his face. Kurapika uncrossed his arms, electing to fit each hand into the sleeve of the opposite arm, and followed the man to the front to wait with him.

Once the credits passed from Kurapika's hand to the captain’s pocket, they were out of the planet’s gravity well and rocketing into a good position to make the first of many jumps. Kurapika sat in the living space where he could watch Palidinknight’s shadow flicker across the floor as he moved around flipping switches and talking to his autopilot. The familiarity in his tone grated at Kurapika's nerves even as he moved his chess piece to take Pair-Oh’s logically sound but predictably moved piece. It was no fair playing against a computer, AI or otherwise, but he was bored and Pair-Oh seemed to enjoy the game itself.

The shift to lightspeed came with no warning and sent the droid skidding across the ground and forced Kurapika to cling to the side of the table as the game board and all its pieces scattered across the floor, a few getting caught in the maintenance grates. If he muttered a few curses in the language of his clan that was between him and the blood rushing in his ears as he grew accustomed to the new speed. Pair-Oh began collecting the chess game as Kurapika got up and made his way into the cockpit to stand behind the captain.

“Not used to passengers or were you being purposefully unkind.”

“Purposeful, I forgot a few things because you rushed me and I'm gonna be stuck in a tin can with you for a while.” He acted nonchalant, but Kurapika could see the grin trying to escape his control.

“You,” Kurapika began, the amusement creeping into his voice. “Are unbelievably petty.”

“Thank you. You said you could fly this thing with a droid right? How about as copilot to a human being?” He gestured to the seat next to him, finally allowing the grin to break free as his passenger sat down. “By the way, the name's Leorio.”

\---

“So you'll be leaving almost as soon as we set down then.” Kurapika glanced sideways at Leorio, standing in the kitchenette to reconstitute a few protein packs and open a bag of blessedly non-arachnid shaped chips.

“Yeah, I've got business in the area but it's on one of the moons, I'm just setting you down on the planet proper because, well, you're paying me to and it is technically in the area.” He spoke between bites, eating like a man who had forgotten the previous meal. Which he had. In a way it was charming but in all other ways it forced Kurapika to look elsewhere. That elsewhere just happened to be down along the front of Leorio's last-decade aesthetic flight suit, something that fit him and would look foolish on anyone slightly less self confident.

A beat of silence. “... You sure you aren't going to need a pickup after those meetings?” Leorio was watching him when he finally dragged his eyes away from the man's belt buckle.

“I will, most likely, but I couldn't yet say for what destination.” This was, as far as he could tell, the last time they'd interact. ‘ _For space is wide and good friends are too few_ ,’ he was unlikely to meet Leorio again unless he hunted him down, and even then…

“Well, guess we'll just have to make the most of it then.” There was no time nor reason to ask what that meant, because a moment later Kurapika found his spine pressing against the counter and two large hands on either side of his own, bracing the both of them as their lips met. One of Leorio's hands drifted up to cup Kurapika's face, but it was Kurapika who pressed closer and pulled the other's lip between his teeth. A huff of breath, another kiss, and Leorio pulled away to speak into the heated air between them. “You don't have some spiritual celibacy going on that I should know about do you? Because that was not the kind of kiss I was expecting from a pious monk-”

“Not that kind of jedi, now come here.” Kurapika pulled Leorio closer once more by way of a hand on the back of his neck, eyes closing from the feeling of another body so close and so real.

If this was the last time Kurapika saw this man before returning to his mission, then it would be his last foray into the light side of the force as well. He'd forgotten what it was like to touch freely and laugh easily, and if he was going to complete the plans he laid out at an earlier point in his life then there would be no more of this.

Otherwise he might heed his master’s warnings.


End file.
